Santa Ana winds return to SoCal as residents prep wildfire plans

With gusty Santa Ana winds expected Tuesday evening across the mountains and desert, residents in Whitewater are gearing up for fire season.

At Lost Creek Canyon Ranch, owner Linda Rivkin said when she hears the Santa Ana winds are returning, only one thing comes to mind. "The first thing I think about is fire," Rivkin said.

She and her crew have spent more than the last year clearing out brush from much of the ranch's 400-acre property in preparation for windy days like Tuesday.

"Trying to create a balance between having enough vegetation so that way we don't have slides, but having the dry vegetation either cut down or pulled out," she said.

The driveway to the ranch is cleared up to 20 feet on each side so the fire department can make it up the canyon safely. Defensible space has been added around the property's seven structures.

And then – there's the livestock.

The crew is planning a staging zone near the property's exit in case of an emergency so the ranch's horses, donkey, goats, pigs and chickens can be rescued.

"We'll have everything staged all the trucks and everything down here ready to go in case we need to evacuate," Rivkin said.

The National Weather Service said recent rainfall will mitigate fire weather concerns with this wind event, but Rivkin said she hopes to be prepared at any time.